By Philip Klein
As the current Republican field takes the stage for the Fox News/Washington Examiner debate tonight the political world still awaits the decision of the missing man -- Texas Gov. Rick Perry.
Aides insist Perry has not made a final decision to run but is aiming to declare his intentions by the end of the summer. That could mean as early as this Saturday when he addresses conservative activists in Charleston S.C. at a gathering sponsored by the blog Red State.
Should he enter the race Perrys path to the Republican nomination lies in finding the sweet spot between the current leading candidates former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Rep. Michele Bachmann R-Minn.
Right now Romney is the front-runner because of his successful business career and executive experience but many conservatives cannot forgive him for signing a health care plan as governor of Massachusetts that was strikingly similar to the one President Obama enacted at the national level. Bachmann is beloved by conservative Tea Party Republicans but skeptics question her lack of executive experience and ability to appeal to a wider audience.
Perrys pitch for the nomination would be that he merges both attributes. Like Bachmann his unapologetic brand of conservatism is popular among Tea Partiers. And having served as a governor for over a decade Perry has more than twice the public executive experience of Romney.
Were Perry the GOP nominee the Obama campaign would portray him as a Tea Party radical and a dimwitted Texas cowboy in the mold of former President George W. Bush (Perrys predecessor as governor). Yet Perry could highlight the fact that Texas has accounted for half of the nations job growth over the past two years -- 220000 Texans were added to the work force in the past year according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And Perry is
considered a dynamic speaker who connects with voters something with which other GOP candidates have struggled.
Even as a noncandidate Perry finds himself in second place in national polling for the nomination just behind Romney according to an average of polls compiled by Real Clear Politics.
Earlier this month Perry triggered a debate over the role of religion in politics when he led a day of prayer that packed more than 30000 worshippers into Houstons Reliant Stadium. Ultimately the event highlighted the central question raised by his candidacy: Will the qualities that make Perry appealing to conservative primary voters turn off the broader electorate?
Philip Klein is senior editorial writer for The Examiner. He can be reached at pklein@washingtonexaminer.com.
